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Doppio, the Italian restaurant at 62 Main St., is celebrating its first year in New Canaan, marking a milestone its owners say has been defined by a warm reception from the community and a transformation of the longtime restaurant space.
Owner Joseph Barresi said the first year has gone better than expected, with customers embracing the restaurant’s approach to Italian dining.
“We’re really happy with the way the town received us,” Barresi said. “A lot of our customers, when they come in, they really embrace what we’ve done.”
Doppio occupies a space that had housed a restaurant for roughly 30 years before Barresi and his brother Louis Barresi took it over. Their goal, he said, was to elevate the space while creating a restaurant that could work for both special occasions and casual nights out.
“We wanted to make it a place that you can come for a special occasion, like a birthday or Saturday night, on a date, but then also that you could come here for dinner on a Wednesday night,” Barresi said.
One of the biggest changes came outside.
When Doppio took over, the outdoor area was not being fully utilized, Barresi said. The restaurant created an outdoor patio that has become a popular spot for diners, especially during this summer.
The restaurant’s menu has also been a major focus during its first year.
Barresi said Doppio emphasizes fresh, largely imported ingredients while using specials to experiment with dishes that may fall outside the boundaries of traditional Italian cuisine.
“We get playful with the specials, which I think the customers like to see,” he said.
Recent specials have included lobster rolls, Barresi said the restaurant does not limit itself strictly to Italian ingredients or preparations.
“For us, it really doesn’t matter. It could be Italian, it could be American,” he said. “We just always put our best effort forward making sure that whatever we put on the plate is always the best that we can do.”
The restaurant’s connection to New Canaan goes beyond its business.
Both Joseph Barresi and his mother Loretta live in New Canaan, Louis Barresi the executive chef grew up playing sports with friends in New Canaan. The whole family maintains a strong connection with the community and church.
“I’ve known some of these people for twenty, twenty five years and they come to the restaurant now that we’ve opened, ” Barresi said.
Barresi said it is not unusual to see regular customers several times a week, sometimes bringing friends or family with them.
“It’s nice, because it’s a small town, family-oriented,” he said. “Even when we’re out and about in the town, we run into our customers a lot.”
Doppio is now looking toward its second year with plans to build on what has worked.
For its first year, the restaurant was open only for dinner. It recently expanded its hours to offer lunch on Saturdays and Sundays, an addition Barresi said the restaurant plans to focus on moving forward.
The owners are also open to eventually expanding the Doppio concept to another community, although Barresi said there is no immediate rush.
“We’re always looking for something in a similar demographic town, where we feel like this concept will be well received,” he said.
For now, the focus is on allowing any future expansion to happen naturally and finding locations with the same type of character as Doppio’s Main Street home.
“There’s no rush,” Barresi said. “Let it happen organically, rather than force it.”
As Doppio celebrates its first year, Barresi said the positive response from New Canaan has left him and his team grateful for the opportunity to become part of the community.